April 2014

Death rates from pancreatic cancer are rising while rates for all other cancers, except female lung cancer, continue to fall in Europe

Pancreatic cancer is the only cancer for which deaths are predicted to increase in men and women rather than decrease in 2014 and beyond, according to a comprehensive study published in the leading cancer journal Annals of Oncology [1]. The study by researchers in Italy and Switzerland shows that the proportion of deaths due to […]

Proposed amendments to EU Regulation on Medical Devices are counter to patients’ interests and unworkable, says ESHG

Recent amendments to the proposed Regulation on In Vitro Diagnostic Medical Devices (IVDs) currently before the European Parliament will restrict the rights of patients and doctors to carry out essential genetic testing, says the European Society of Human Genetics (ESHG) today (Monday 7 April 2014). Furthermore, an independent legal opinion now shows that the European […]

Six months hormonal treatment in addition to radiotherapy improves survival for men with localised prostate cancer

Vienna, Austria: Men with prostate cancer that is small and confined to the prostate gland but that is at risk of growing and spreading, do better if they are treated with radiotherapy combined with androgen deprivation therapy, which lowers their levels of the male hormone, testosterone, according to new research. The findings, presented at the […]

Increased risk of developing lung cancer after radiotherapy for breast cancer

Vienna, Austria: Women who have radiotherapy for breast cancer have a small but significantly increased risk of subsequently developing a primary lung tumour, and now research has shown that this risk increases with the amount of radiation absorbed by the tissue. Dr Trine Grantzau (MD) told the 33rd conference of the European Society for Radiotherapy […]

The prognosis of tumours that are positive for human papilloma virus in head and neck cancers varies according to their site

Vienna, Austria: Patients with cancer of the throat and who are positive for the Human Papilloma virus (HPV+) have a good prognosis, but until now the effect of being HPV+ on the prognosis of tumours located elsewhere in the head and neck was unknown. Danish researchers have now shown that HPV status appears to have […]

New test developed to detect men at high risk of prostate cancer recurrence

Vienna, Austria: A new genetic “signature” to identify prostate cancer patients who are at high risk of their cancer recurring after surgery or radiotherapy has been developed by researchers in Canada, the 33rd conference of the European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology (ESTRO33) in Vienna heard on Saturday. Professor Robert Bristow told the conference that […]

Brachytherapy helps maintain erectile function in prostate cancer patients without compromising treatment outcomes

Vienna, Austria: The use of permanent brachytherapy, a procedure where radioactive sources are placed inside the prostate, into or near to the tumour, preserves erectile function in approximately 50% of patients with prostate cancer, a researcher told the ESTRO 33 congress. Brachytherapy works by giving a high dose of radiotherapy directly to the tumour, but […]